Update

***French President Hosts Reception for Human Rights Defenders at Élysée Palace***Human Rights Lawyer Shahanur Islam Joins Hands with ARDHIS for Bangladeshi LGBTQI Asylum Seekers in France***New Platform to Fight Discrimination Against LGBTQI+ Community in Bangladesh***Human Rights Advocates Meet with French Ambassador to the Council of Europe ***Bangladesh Needs to Make Further Progress Towards Gender Equality***JusticeMakers Bangladesh calls for justice and protection for religious minorities in Bangladesh***French Human Rights Ambassador Honours HR Defenders at Paris***JusticeMakers Bangladesh is deeply concerned over the harassment against student of Islamic University in Bangladesh***JusticeMakers Bangladesh urges to withdraw the ban of Prity's book "Jonmo O Jonir Itihas" immediately***JusticeMakers Bangladesh expresses deep concern, condemnation and protest over the vandalism 14 Hindu temples in Thakurgaon***JusticeMakers Bangladesh deeply concern over the threat of crossfire to the lawyer Aminul Gani Tito in Dhaka***JusticeMakers Bangladesh gravely concerns over the attacked on CEO of BELA***JusticeMakers Bangladesh gravely concerns over the disappearance of lawyer in Dhaka***JusticeMakers Bangladesh Urges Immidiate Release of Arrested Transgenders in Dhaka***JusticeMakers Bangladesh concerns over viciously attacked on lawyer Abdur Rashid Mollah at Dhaka***JusticeMakers Bangladesh gravely concerned over attacked on indigenous people at Bogura***JusticeMakers Bangladesh welcomes the decision of Metropolitan Magistrate to acquit four Transgenders in Dhaka***JusticeMakers Bangladesh Protests and concerns Over the Abduction and Torture of Two Trans-women in Meherpur***Shahanur Islam attended the 21st World Summit on Participatory Democracy at Grenoble, France***

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

STATEMENT: JMBF Strongly Condemns the Arrest of Two Lesbian Girls in Satkhira

Paris, France; March 12, 2024: The France-based rights organization JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) expresses profound concern and outrage over the recent arrest of two lesbian individuals from Satkhira on January 04, 2024. These arrests, which occurred solely based on the girls' sexual orientation and their same-sex relationship, are a grave violation of their rights and dignity.

According to reports from various online newspapers in Bangladesh, the two lesbian teenagers were apprehended from the Brajabaksa area of Helatla Union in Kalaroa Upazila on January 4, 2024, by the members of the Kalaroa Police Station. One of the arrested girls is Mahima Khatun (17), daughter of Abdul Mannan from Idanpur village in the Doara Bazar police station of Sunamganj district, and the other is Rubina Khatun (18), daughter of Anisur Rahman from Brajbaksa village in Helatla Union of Kalaroa Upazila in Satkhira.

Sunday, March 10, 2024

JMBF President Raises Concerns Over Hate Speech and Misinformation to French President Macron


At the culmination of the historic constitutional sealing ceremony for the right to abortion on International Women’s Day, Advocate Shahanur Islam, Founder President of JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), engaged in a brief yet significant discussion with President Emmanuel Macron of France. The conversation, held at the iconic Place Vendôme in Paris, underscored pressing concerns regarding hate speech and misinformation originating from Bangladeshi politicians, particularly targeting the LGBTQ+ community.

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Bangladeshi Homosexual Asylum Application in Europe: What is the Reality?

Shahanur Islam
It is known from various unsupported sources that the number of asylum applications from Bangladeshi citizens has increased alarmingly in various European countries, including France, because they are members of the homosexual community and have fled the country to escape state discrimination, oppression, and torture by family, neighbors, and society leaders. 

Although many of the Bangladeshi asylum seekers claiming homosexuality have been persecuted in Bangladesh because of their sexual orientation, it is believed that the number of fraudulent asylum applications among the applicants who are not actually homosexual but who have applied for asylum claiming to be homosexual is not less.

 Although many receive asylum by fraudulently claiming to be gay in order to secure asylum, such fraudulent events undermine the credibility of genuine gay asylum seekers in the asylum system. As a result, homosexuals who are victims of actual persecution are often denied asylum.

Thursday, February 29, 2024

STATEMENT: JMBF Condemns Hair-Cutting Punishment of Students at School in Munshiganj

Paris, France; February 29, 2024: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) condemns in the strongest terms the recent incident of cutting the hair of nine students for not wearing hijab by a teacher at Syedpur Abdur Rahman School and College in Munshiganj, Bangladesh.

The act of cutting the students' hair as a form of punishment for their religious attire is deeply concerning and constitutes a violation of their fundamental rights and dignity. No student should ever be subjected to such humiliation and discrimination based on their personal choices or beliefs.

JMBF urges the authorities to conduct a prompt and impartial investigation into the incident and to take exemplary action against the accused teacher. It is imperative that justice is swiftly served and that measures are taken to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.

Monday, February 26, 2024

STATEMENT: JMBF Condemns Discriminatory Actions Against LGBT Individuals by Major Political Parties in Bangladesh

Paris, France; February 26, 2024: The France-based human rights organization JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) expresses deep concern over recent discriminatory actions against transgender and homosexual individuals, as well as the propagation of hate speech against homosexuality in Bangladesh by major political parties, including the ruling party Bangladesh Awami League, the main opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jatio Party, and the Islamic-religion-based political party Islami Andolon Bangladesh.

According to reports published in various Bangladeshi newspapers, on February 4th, the Opposition Chief Whip of the National Parliament in Bangladesh and Jatiya Party General Secretary, Mujibul Haque Chunnu, demanded the removal of two lines from a seventh-grade textbook, claiming they were controversial with Islam. He argued that the inclusion of transgenderism in the textbook was solely aimed at creating social chaos by undermining traditional social values. 

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

STATEMENT: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) Condemns Arrest of Lesbian Individual in Dhaka


Paris, France; February 20, 2024: The France-based rights organization JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) has expressed deep concern and anger over the arrest of a sexual minority lesbian girl from Dhaka, who has been arrested and sent to jail custody on false and fabricated kidnapping charges in Barishal, solely because of her sexual orientation and same-sex relationship.

According to news published in various newspapers in Bangladesh, Mim Akhter, the daughter of Sahidul Islam from Bahadurpur village in Muladi upazila of Barisal, fell in love with Rober Liza, a jim trainer and a former cricket player of the National Women's Cricket Team of Bangladesh. Later, she divorced her husband, as she was forced into marriage by her parents about five years ago. On January 25, 2024, she finally ran away with her girlfriend, Rober Liza, for the third time after repeated attempts and married her. However, her girlfriend, Rober Liza, was arrested in the kidnapping case filed by her mother. Police arrested her girlfriend, Rober Liza, along with her from Dhaka on February 12, 2024.

Thursday, February 15, 2024

JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) Granted Formal Membership in Transgender Europe (TGEU)


In a significant development for the LGBTQI+ rights movement, JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) has officially become a member of Transgender Europe (TGEU), on 6th February 2024, marking a pivotal moment in the organization's commitment to advancing the rights and visibility of transgender individuals.

TGEU, a prominent organization dedicated to advocating for the rights of transgender and gender-diverse people across Europe and Central Asia, welcomed JMBF into its fold with great enthusiasm. The announcement was made following JMBF's expressed interest in joining TGEU, showcasing mutual dedication to amplifying transgender voices and addressing systemic inequalities.

As a newly inducted member, JMBF gains access to a host of benefits provided by TGEU. These include privileged information about events, campaigns, funding opportunities, and other pertinent resources through a dedicated members-only mailing list. Furthermore, JMBF will have access to capacity-building support in various crucial areas such as networking, fundraising, community organizing, advocacy, and burn-out prevention, strengthening its ability to effect positive change within the transgender community.